Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next chapter of this story.
This chapter I bring you the announced birthday party and a small bonus afterwards~ But before that, a little distraction for our favorite magician ;)
Meh… I promised myself to wait with the one-shot stories for this until I've finished my open projects, but oh well – I like writing heist just too much ;) Fortunately it took me very little time, so it didn't cause a lot of delay for this story :D (Anyway do feel free to check out 'Small favors' as those stories there will be acting like fillers for 'The fox and hounds' ;) )
Time for the review reply section~:
Cerlinfia - Ah~ Your wish has stirred my urge to write heists ;) I'm glad you found your way to the one-shot :D
ChosenChild - I am glad you found me here :D I must admit I do tend to forget about AO3 every now and then ^^" Thank you for reminding me about it~ And yes it would be tones easier for the detectives to win Kaito over if he wasn't so stubborn to protect them xD Sorry for having you confused~ Yes – the party is in this chapter and unfortunately Hakuba already used his 'penalty'. I really do like Conan's and Saguru's friendship myself :) I think they have a lot in common and could make great friends in canon :)
Boogum - I am very pleased you liked it so much :D I do believe this chapter will also to your taste :)
Mists - Thank you~ Words like that really do bring a smile to my face~ I do hope you will find this chapter pleasing as well :)
Kensy Echo – Yay – I missed you :D No need to apologize though, I was late to write myself ^^" Well - Kai is lonely (mainly because he denies himself the right to not be ;) ). I just love making connections to the title xD I am glad that you found your way to the heist story~ And fear not – there is no way I would dare to not write about Kaito's visit to the grave~ I am glad to read that my story makes you feel all sorts of emotions ;) You do seem to understand Kaito quite well :D
So without further delay…
Please enjoy and review! :)
Chapter 28: Surprise, surprise
It was rare for Kaito to have his plans go so smoothly outside of a heist. During the weekend, he managed not only to stir the minds of his detectives, but he also had quite a lot of fun with them. And only that. Nearly doing nothing on the sidelines. He felt kind of bad about wasting so much time, just for pleasure, but it was... relieving. Losing in chess wasn't very fun of course, but he liked the game anyway. He was surprised by the mild penalties his detectives gave him. He wondered why they decided to make it that way, but eventually shrugged it off, figuring that they just used the opportunity to make him hang around longer. Anyway, the game surprisingly allowed him to peer into his opponent's thinking process, which he found quite intriguing. He definitely should try and get better with it.
Apart from that, his time at school during the week was very rewarding. He managed to pull all the loose ends, tease his fellow schoolmates, Aoko wasn't trying to seriously brain him out with a mop, Akako kept her distance again and Hakuba disappeared each day fast after class, so Kaito didn't have to sneak around too much. That last thing was probably somewhat worrying, since apparently the Brit spent his time digging around the police archives in search of something, but the magician decided to leave him be. With little luck, he wouldn't have to worry about it anyway.
So, including the successful heist, it was a very busy, but also a highly satisfactory week. Would be more, if his critics actually made it to the event, but he did appreciate their concern. Hopefully the upcoming weekend would grant him well deserved rest and peace of mind. He only regretted that things couldn't stay that way…
Kaito yawned widely, waking up on Saturday morning. Lazily he looked out through his window, idly wondering how Aoko would decide to kidnap him. Despite his protests, she gave him a present each year and considering her latest attempts, it was rather clear that she was planning on it again. He already told her earlier this week that he would be too busy for her on Sunday, so this day was her only chance. Initially, he was kind of suspicious about his detectives contribution to her scheme, but seeing how they acted during the weekend, she most probably simply told them about her plan and asked to help her ensure that Kaito wouldn't try to slip out of her reach again. The silly girl... He knew how important it was for her. Also, in the end he wouldn't mind to go with her to a cafeteria or spend some quality time with her in any other way, before stuff got serious again. He did neglect her far too much.
After his morning jog and shower he directed his steps to the Nakamoris' for breakfast. It wasn't his habit anymore to do it on weekends, but he occasionally did and decided that this time it could also serve Aoko as a convenient excuse to go on with her plan. Everything started as he expected – some slight teasing with the girl, along with fun conversations with Ginzo and his daughter and eating the tasty breakfast together. After finishing, the inspector left hurryingly for work, leaving the teenagers alone to clean up. Finishing his own meal, Kaito let out a satisfied huff and started gathering the dishes to wash them up. He cast a glance at the girl, who had yet to mention anything about her schemes. The magician decided to give his friend a little push, so after he placed the last tableware into the sink, he asked casually.
"So Aoko~? What are your plans for today?"
She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled in that mocking way the magician knew she did when she thought she was being sly. "Oooh~? Did the great Kaito find time for his long forgotten friend~?" She chuckled and her gaze softened, showing that she was only teasing. "Sorry, Kaito. This time Aoko is busy. Aoko has to write that essay for history lessons. And Keiko asked Aoko to help her tomorrow prepare for the math exam, so Aoko can't put it off."
The magician blinked at her, taken aback. That wasn't what he expected. In fact it was waaay far off from what he expected. Meaning... she was pulling his leg. Yep, that had to be it, especially concerning how giddy she was under the apologetic cover and how she was trying to hide the mischievous glint in her eyes. He held back his smirk and gave her an understanding smile.
"That's alright. Mind if I hang around a bit anyway? My TV is busted and I wanted to watch a program."
The girl shrugged, seemingly indifferent to it. "Sure. Aoko doesn't mind as long as you promise to let Aoko work."
He gasped in shock and gave her a disbelieving stare. "Aoko! Would you really expect me to do anything to pull you away from your very important homework~?"
She gave him a death-glare and grumbled warningly, before heading to her room. "Remember Aoko warned you..."
Kaito chuckled and turned back to the sink to do the dishes, wondering idly when would she give up and try to catch him off guard. In the end, the girl wasn't a very patient person.
After nearly an hour and a half of fruitless wait, Kaito was getting impatient. Having so much heist experience, it was easy for the kaitou to check up on Aoko without her knowledge, but apparently she was really doing her homework. And this was just wrong. Despite what the girl might think about herself, she wasn't a sly and cunning person. Did his critics have a bad influence on her? That was most probable. He bit back a frustrated groan. He hated wasting time and more importantly, he was looking forward to spending time with her.
Confused with the outcome, Kaito sat on the couch and started musing about the situation. He doubted Aoko would have forgotten about his birthday and there was no way he had misunderstood her intentions. But there was another possibility, wasn't there? Not that he really cared, but it was his 18th birthday and as much as Aoko didn't like changing her habits, she could have planned something special this time. Something bigger than just presenting him a simple gift and spending time together. And the girl did like parties. He snorted. This would also explain better why she decided to involve his detectives in her plan. The question was where said party would be held. He doubted it would be at her house, since out of boredom he superficially looked through the house and didn't find anything suspicious. She wouldn't loan a place just for the occasion, simply because it was too costly. At least Kaito hoped she wouldn't do it. He would feel bad if she did. So that left him with somebody else's place. Like for example a certain Brit's manor.
Absently he started doing small tricks with juggling balls, while wondering about the possibility. Hakuba was acting overly friendly with him for quite a while now, so it was very likely that, despite his rigid nature, he wouldn't oppose to the idea. The question was whether Kaito wanted to spoil the upcoming surprise to himself. A mischievous grin split his face. He didn't want to spoil it, true, but the whole case stirred his curiosity just a tiny bit too much. And it was partially Aoko's fault leaving him waiting like that. He definitely was going with that excuse.
He cast one last glance at the stairs and got up from the couch, making the balls vanish. For the first time, he regretted that he never trained any of his doves to follow his childhood friend. There just never really was a need for that. He wondered about slipping a tracer in her shoe, but he dismissed the thought as soon as it came. There wasn't any need to worry about that. In case he got it wrong, she would just give him a call later on. He raised his voice, saying his goodbyes, giving her the last chance to stop him. She didn't, so he closed the door behind himself and directed his steps towards Hakuba's manor. In the end it was better for his surroundings if he kept himself occupied. Who knew what would he think of, when he was bored too much. Even he didn't. So in short, sneaking around was like doing public service~ And it was probably the only opportunity to show his 'gratitude' to the detective for giving Aoko ideas… The shark-like grin didn't bode Saguru well, but unfortunately there wasn't anybody to notice it. Pity~
Kaito didn't get far when he felt a piercing gaze focus on him. He didn't let anything show on his pose or expression of course, but he did slightly change his course, to lead his possible pursuer to a place where he could surprise them. As expected, the feeling of being followed didn't leave him. The stare didn't feel threatening, but he didn't get this far for just trusting the first impression he got. Those were good when he didn't have time to think, but outside those occasions, it definitely paid off to be careful. While playing with his phone, he turned into a winding alley, which people often used as a short cut. Kaito regretted that there wasn't any rain lately, so the ground wasn't muddy to give away how far his pursuer was. After another turn he jumped on the emergency fire exit, which he kept himself maintained, so it wouldn't creek under his weight, and hidden from sight, he waited there.
His pursuer picked up his pace after the magician disappeared around the corner. They were trying to be moving quietly, but didn't have the kaitou's grace. Soon Kaito noticed the familiar Osakan's shag show itself from around the corner. The magician snorted inwardly, admitting that Hattori was a whole lot better with tailing than Hakuba, but apparently he still was no match for the great Kaitou KID~ While he was idly wondering what Tantei-han's goal was and whether he was part of Aoko's plan, Heiji looked up. Figures that he was also paranoid, much like Tantei-kun. Kaito could have stayed hidden, but decided that there was no need for it and instead chose to grin at the detective below, while leaning over the railing. In the end the Osakan was fun and proved many times already to serve as a decent distraction.
Hattori chuckled, smiling widely when he noticed that he got himself discovered. He figured something was wrong when Kuroba took the first turn away from Hakuba's place. With the information they had from Aoko, they foresaw that if she acted like she wasn't going to spend any time with him, he would get impatient and reconsider his predictions about the day. Most likely coming to a conclusion that the girl decided to change her habit and hold a party this time. According to Jii's assurance, the magician wasn't aware that the girl, who missed her friend, started hanging out more in places they used to visit together. So eventually she became a regular at the parlor and kept company to the old man who also missed his previous master's son's visits. Thus it was very unlikely Kaito would expect her to prepare the party there. And if he couldn't find anything out of ordinary at her house, the next logical place would be Hakuba's place. The two Tokyo resident detectives weren't sure if the kaitou would want to confirm his suspicions, but Hattori had no doubts that he would. Kuroba was cunning, perspicacious and careful, but at the same time he was curious and preferred acting instead of waiting. So Heiji expected that in a safe situation, where there was no need to hold back and if the temptation was big enough, the magician would give in to his curiosity. And the grinning exhibit A, above him was the best prove that he was right. So the point goes to The Great Detective of the West~
"Yo, scaredy cat. Paranoiac much?" The Osakan teased with a smirk.
The magician snorted and rolled his eyes. "Could ask you the same. Anyway, is it already an occupational disease for you to be tailing other people like a creep~?"
"Only those who sneak around suspiciously."
"Well, if you call a casual walk through the streets sneaking, I imagine that you must be pretty busy in your everyday life~" Kaito mocked, supporting his body on the balustrade and standing upside down on his hands, facing the detective below.
Heiji eyed the construction with alarm, unsure if it could hold the magician's weight, but trying to maintain external calm. "It is suspicious, if I know what you're up to. Anyway, will you get down, or do I have to go up? My neck is starting to hurt from the position."
The kaitou smirked mockingly and Hattori knew that his attempts of hiding his concern failed. "Well, pardon me. I had no idea you were a medium~" He chuckled and swayed on the balustrade, as if concerning the request. "Anyway… you probably should eventually learn to look up to others~ Maybe it would be good for y- Argh!" He let out a scared yelp, as his hand slipped as he was taking a step and lost his grip, falling backwards to the ground.
Out of reflex Heiji threw himself forward to catch the falling magician, preparing himself for a painful crash. He closed his eyes the second Kaito should have fallen on him, but all he felt was the gentle brush of kaitou's hair on his forehead. And then there was laughter. Bemused, Hattori opened his eyes only to notice Kuroba swaying just slightly above him on a wire, safely attached to the fire escape above.
"Very funny, ahou…" He grumbled, mentally giving himself a slap for falling for such a trick. It was KID. He wouldn't just kill himself by falling from a railing.
"It sure was~!" Kaito blurted out with barely holding back spasms of laughter. "If only you saw your face~"
Heiji gave the prankster a non-mental smack upside at the back of his head. "Just get down from there ahou…"
"Why~?" The magician asked with mild amusement, slowly turning upside down, putting himself roughly on Hattori's eyelevel. "I thought you just didn't want to strain your neck~ And I do believe the problem is solved now~"
It was alarming that the magician's twisted logic actually started making sense. The Osakan smirked. "Well, thanks for your concern. This explains also why you're such a nut-job, seeing how you like to be upside down." He poked Kaito's forehead, pushing him slightly away and making him sway on the rope. "Blood gets into your head and causes brain damage."
Kuroba's lips twitched in slight annoyance and Heiji wondered if this was a warning for crossing the line. He decided to ignore it, grinning back at the teen. Kaito sighed theatrically and spread his arms in a helpless manner.
"Well, I'm afraid that I have done a lot of things over the years. But regrettably, acting normal was never one of them~" He stated and gave a wicked grin, that should've probably worry the detective.
But instead it only amused Heiji, so he reacted with a chuckle. It was clear to him now that the lip twitch was just an empty taunt. The magician might have been outrageous for most, but he was also fun and creative. And that was just fine for Hattori.
Pleased with his critic's reaction and the lack of fuss, Kaito hooked his skillful fingers in the knot on his waist and undid it with one pull. He landed on the ground with a flip and pulled on the rope, releasing it from the railing above. Heiji looked at it with concern, but didn't say anything, most probably figuring that the teen before him knew what he was doing and despite the looks of it, he wasn't in any danger.
"So? Why were you tailing me anyway?" Kuroba asked with a raised eyebrow, while skillfully folding the rope.
The detective shrugged, unsurprised when the neat coil vanished without a trace moments later with a small confetti burst. "Well, I was meaning to meet up with you, when I noticed you walking by and decided to have a little fun."
The magician snorted with amusement, accepting the explanation for now. "Alright, but since that's done, did you want anything specific from me?"
"Not much. Just thought we could hang around a bit, since Kudo is busy with his Neechan and all~" He chuckled and gave the teen before him an earnest smile. "And wanted to thank you for keeping him occupied last weekend."
That set off alarms in Kaito's mind, but he kept any signs of it carefully hidden, showing only curious surprise on his face. "Hm? What do you mean by that?" He asked while trying to spot anything that would tell him, if the Osakan figured out who he was talking through the phone and if it would spoil his latter plans.
But it seemed the detective was oblivious about the trick. "Well you know. The guy has a lot on his back and sometimes gets a hard time dealing with it. And a break every now and then is good for everybody."
The magician smirked, wondering if the detective wasn't referring to him as well. "Yeah, I hear you. Anyhow, distractions are my specialty, so it was my pleasure~" He said with a mocking bow.
Heiji laughed at that, fully agreeing with the magician.
Kaito didn't oppose to the idea of going on a stroll with the detective. He expected that was just a way to pull him away from Hakuba's manor, but decided he didn't mind. In the end, a surprise would be nice and Hattori was fun enough to deal with. He enjoyed how the Osakan reacted and responded to his pranks, and didn't hold grudges for teases. At least for long~ And that was just what he needed to let himself relax.
They were standing in a square, in a middle of a small bicker, after Kaito turned Heiji's baseball cap into its pink and fluffy caricature, when suddenly they heard a gasp.
"It's Kaitou KID!" A shrill of an awfully familiar freckled boy put a pause to their quarrel.
Heiji had to give it to Kaito, he nearly didn't twitch at that. Too bad Hattori was looking at him so carefully at the time. He recovered nearly immediately, his expression showing only shock mixed with amazement, as he started looking around frantically.
"Huh? Where?" The eagerness and enthusiasm was nearly pouring out of him.
"It's you of course! You can't fool the Detective Boys!" Genta claimed with a wide grin on his face, while pointing a finger at Kuroba.
The perfect acting didn't discourage the three kids and they swarmed the magician, giving Heiji an opportunity to back away to his mischievously smirking friend.
"Oi… What is it about?" He asked whispering, while eyeing with worry the interested passers who overheard the accusations.
"I might have told the kids that Kuroba is an avid fan of KID and would be most thrilled to be taken for his idol~" Shinichi answered quietly with a devilish chuckle. "Chill. In the end he likes adrenaline~"
Hattori gave a sheepish laugh, noting mentally to not get on Kudo's bad side in the future. Meanwhile Kaito blinked and gazed at the kids owlishly, looking as innocent and surprised as possible. At least the surprise was most likely genuine.
"Me? I'm not KID, why would you think that?" He made a point of not glaring at Tantei-kun.
"Because you're a magician!" Ayumi claimed.
"And a good one at that!" Genta added.
Seeing puzzlement on Kaito's expression, the kids grinned and Mitsuhiko explained with a wide smile. "We saw how skillfully you pulled the trick on Heiji-san, without him noticing anything~! Plus…" He took the magician's hand, showing it. "You have very long fingers and judging from the calluses on them and the small cuts…" He trailed off, frowning while looking closer at the palm.
"There is no mistaking that you train a lot with various objects~!" Ayumi helpfully finished with a wide smile.
Kuroba chuckled, taking away his hand from the boy's grasp. "Oooh~ Reading an occupation from one's hand? You guys are really good detectives~" The children puffed their chests at the praise, Mitsuhiko dropping his concern. "Well~ I admit you're right about one thing~" With a flick of his wrist he produced a rose, which he presented to the small girl and with a snap of his fingers of the other hand he conjured a small confetti burst and a flapping dove. "I am a magician indeed~ But in all honesty… I am way better than KID~" He added with a laugh, as the children gasped in awe at his little tricks.
The dove turned its head and blinked at Conan, who was chuckling with Heiji a few steps away. It cooed with recognition and as its master didn't seem to want anything from it, it took off. Shinichi noticed the descending bird and jumped away, clapping his hands over his head.
"Oh no, you don't!" He growled, backing away from the bird.
The dove, unfazed by his attempts, landed on his chest, digging its tiny claws in his shirt. Flapping its wings, the bird made his way up to the shirt's collar. Once there it gave the boy a gentle peck on the cheek and cuddled to him.
"Huh?" Conan blinked with a shocked expression, trying to keep an eye on the quietly cooing dove.
Kaito laughed heartily, seeing confusion on his critics' faces and slight envy on the children's.
"Nee? Niisan? Did you tell the dove to do that?" Mitsuhiko asked suspiciously.
The magician shook his head. "Nope~ It's just that Aya-chan really likes Conan-kun and apparently wanted to give him a smooch on the cheek~"
"Huh?" Conan repeated, turning owlishly towards the kaitou, not really noticing the kids who came over to pat the bird on his chest.
"Why does she like him so much, Niisan?" Ayumi asked curiously and giggled as the dove seemed to be enjoying being caressed.
"Hm… I wonder…" He replied with a smirk that explained it all to Shinichi, making him recall the bird he took care of after the Scorpion incident. "All I know is that for some reason she loves him~"
Stating it like that made the shrunken teen look at the cuddling and cooing dove and blush slightly, which caused Heiji to start laughing, from his 'bird-loving' friend and his new girlfriend.
It wasn't hard for the Detective Boys to have Kaito show them some magic, especially after Heiji claimed that the magician wasn't anything big in compare to Kaitou KID. Kuroba seemed genuinely angry at the Osakan and gave a small show of a few particularly mean tricks. It was incomprehensible for Conan why this taunt actually worked, but for the sake of his sanity, he decided to not think about it too much.
Previously Kaito was slightly worried about the possibility of meeting the nosy brats outside of a heist, since despite their age they were rather observant and there was a slight chance of them making the connection of KID looking similarly to Kudo. It wasn't like he didn't believe in his skill to throw off any suspicions from himself, but depending on the situation, it could turn problematic. Especially because children weren't too much interested in evidence. Fortunately, for some reason they didn't find it suspicious that he looked so similar to Shinichi. He was certain that it was Tantei-kun's doing. As well as their joke about accusing him of being KID. With the latter, the squirt earned himself a special place on the kaitou's 'payback list'. And he was not going to settle for just small teasing for it~ Unfortunately it had to wait for now, as he wanted to catch the little devil by surprise as well.
He enjoyed performing for the children. Their honest delight and joy was refreshing for him. Later he concluded that he should have figured that it was suspicious when after two hours they ended up near the Blue Parrot and the little girl asked him if they could get somewhere inside and get some rest and drink. Despite how many times he used a similar trick himself, those kids caught him completely off guard. Seeing that the old man's place was near, he himself proposed taking them there, deciding to greet Jii while at it. The joy and pride he felt from the kids should have been another hint, but again he just shrugged it off, blaming it on excitement after his show. Suspicions only hit him as he was nearing the door, as everything was too quiet and still. He found himself wanting to take the kids away from there, but probably noticing him hesitating, Heiji just grabbed him and pulled inside, before he could object. That gesture made Kaito notice how his two critics were acting and make the connections to the children's reactions and his previous deductions about the whole day.
He managed only to smirk slightly as everything clicked in place, before turning his expression to pure shock and excitement when Aoko, Akako, Hakuba and quite a few schoolmates he used to hang out with jumped out with a loud 'Surprise~!' Sometimes the reflex to react to sudden movement did prove troublesome, as it took a bit of self-restrain to not drop confetti on them before they managed to try and startle him. Kaito was genuinely surprised by the number of guests who apparently were happy to be there. His gaze trailed to the old man in charge of the place. It was clear how happy and touched he was to see his young master. Kaito gave him a glimpse of apologetic smile, hoping nobody else noticed it. Maybe he should return to his habit to spending some time around to gather his thoughts, instead of locking himself in his secret places. Jii would probably appreciate his presence even if he wouldn't share what was on his mind. But then…
He didn't let his mind trail off in that direction and returned his full attention to his schoolmates and the bunch who kept him occupied as they sang the birthday song over a cake, lit with 18 candles. He noticed that Tantei-kun was only pretending. Kaito made a mischievous mental note to get him to sing something in the future, so the magician would be able to verify the rumors he heard about his voice. Only for intelligence purposes of course, not that he wanted to make fun of the little devil… But just maybe Kaito could make it part of payback for getting startled by the children today? Tough choice. Before he could make up his mind (not that it was important right now anyway) the song has ended, so he blew the candles. He neglected making a wish, since he didn't want to mope right now.
After they ate the cake, the kids left the party. Shinichi did notice surprise on Kaito's face when they gave him their best wishes again and said their goodbyes. It seemed that the magician wanted to object at first, but decided to let it go and conjured a birthday cap for each of them, thanking them for coming. Kudo was not amused with his pink one.
With Hakuba's courtesy, they were driven back to their homes by Baaya. The children chatted cheerfully during the ride about the day and tricks Kuroba made for them, only sorry that Haibara didn't want to go with them. They argued if the magician was actually better than the kaitou. Ayumi, probably trying to be polite wasn't sure, Genta made it obvious that KID was way better, while Mitsuhiko explained to him that it seemed like that only because the thief's shows were prepared beforehand, while Kuroba was taken by surprise and thus couldn't show off his whole skill. Therefore comparing them was hard, but the possibility of the magician being superior was high. This brought smile to the detective's face and made him recall something.
"Oh yeah. I've been wondering, why did you trail off while saying out your deduction about Kaito-niisan being a magician?"
The freckled boy hummed, trying to recall what it was about and snapped his fingers. "Ah, I remember now! It was strange. Remember how we talked about how a magician's hands should look like?"
Conan nodded in confirmation and the two other children looked at their friend, slightly confused. "You mean the calluses and small cut scars?" Ayumi asked, recalling what they found out researching.
Mitsuhiko gave a nod. "Yeah that. Well, when I touched his hand and focused on it I've noticed that there were some calluses, but no old scars. And I started wondering, if maybe we got the whole thing wrong. But then the conversation and tricks went on, so I forgot to mention it~" He added with a sheepish laugh.
Shinichi frowned at that. He wondered if it was possible for the boy to simply miss Kuroba's scars, but he doubted it. Mitsuhiko was perceptive and although didn't have his eyes trained as Kudo himself to spot out details, he wouldn't miss anything he was actually looking for. There were ways to diminish scars to make them less obvious and he expected Kaito to care for his hands exceptionally, but there should be still some signs. Plus it was very hard to get rid of old scars and it was doubtful that the magician as a child was very careful with his palms. He regretted now that he never actually tried to find those signs himself and noted mentally to do that on the next day, when he planned to meet Kuroba.
When the kids left, the other attendants decided to approach the birthday-boy and give him their wishes along with gifts. He received a nice cup that changed its color due to warmth, two books about unexplained phenomena, a bundle of colorful scarves for his tricks and a plasma ball (Hakuba feared actually what Kuroba might think of with that one) from his schoolmates. To their dread, the magician's fellow pranksters presented him with a few handmade crackers and a book about explosives.
Saguru gave him three tiny, leather harnesses. Kaito didn't hide his surprise, so the Brit awkwardly explained that he couldn't find any information about what gear magicians use for their tricks with birds, but he figured something like that could be handy. He didn't have to add that it was custom made. With a startling bang of the new cracker (loud enough to shock the kaitou as well), Kuroba conjured two of his doves and tried the harnesses on them. It needed a bit of adjusting as they were slightly too big, but the birds seemed comfortable enough in them, so Kaito left them to fly around and see if they could get used to it.
Silently the guests unanimously agreed that Heiji was most likely some sort of a masochist (although his guts earned him some respect from the other pranksters). His gift was a diverse magic kit... suitable for small children. Unfazed by the overwhelming dread around him and a sharp grin from Kuroba, Hattori explained without bothering to try and hide his smirk.
"You know, I figured that you probably could use to start training with some professional equipment~"
"Oh~ How thoughtful of you~" Kaito replied, raising a small plastic bottle, used for the suspending trick. "I just hope I won't get hurt in the process. There is some very dangerous stuff in here!" He added with a gasp, picking up a finger-length piece of rope. "It's heartwarming to know how much trust you put in my skills~"
Heiji snorted, but before he could reply the magician blew at two fake banknotes, causing them to blow up in a fountain of plastic coins right into the detective's face. Startled and lightly pushed by Kuroba, the Osakan tried to take a step back and found himself falling over, as his legs didn't budge. He hit the floor with a grunt, accompanied by the kaitou's laugh and noticed that his shoelaces were tied up together with the ridiculously short piece of rope. Kaito beamed to him, taking out the tiny vase, which sprouted and equally small flower.
"See? Told you they are dangerous~"
"Oi-" Hattori started, but got cut off by the magician's yelp as the deck of cards exploded under his fingers.
A blinding flash and tones of cards flying around (definitely more than the magic kit held) obstructed everybody's view. This was when the guests understood that Heiji was not only a masochist… He was also a sadist, for apparently putting Kaito on his pranking rampage. Fortunately most of what happened afterwards was rather just a show of skill than anything particularly mischievous.
Looking at the spongy rabbit head, that was the only unchanged part of the now spongy snake-hare hybrid tying his hands, Hakuba couldn't help but wonder if the inventors of the harmless kit ever expected their set to be used in such a way. There weren't enough of equipment to use on everybody (because Kaito didn't spare even Jii or the waiter), so it was obvious that the magician, who was now sitting cross legged on the counter, with the too small, black top hat on his head, had to use some of his own. Surprisingly nobody's hair or clothes changed color.
Akako was the first to clear her throat and approach the magician to continue with the interrupted wishes. Due to Kaito's rampage, her hair was now held upwards with a red scarf bow, accompanied with few equally red flowers tucked in between. In all, it nicely emphasized the color of her eyes. Hattori found himself gaping at the girl, as well as other guys, excluding Hakuba who looked away and Kuroba, who only smiled at her and hopped off the counter. Her gift was an old looking book with a Latin title, which the magician vanished before the detectives had the chance to decipher and a small pouch that looked like an omamori. Kaito just hoped that he managed to keep his expression intact when she whispered to him that inside was a Devil's Shoe String and he should keep it close to himself whenever he expected trouble. He certainly did not like the name of it. Later when he decided to check it out he noticed that it was some strange smelling root, tied with a white string and nine knots. Kuroba wasn't sure what to make of the book, which was apparently a basic guide about warding himself from physical magic. It would be a pain to read it, but he definitely was going to.
Aoko, who had her hair fixed up in the same way as Akako's with a blue scarf and flowers, was the last one to approach the magician with her gift and wishes. The present from her had Kaito still his Poker Face for a moment. She gave him a difficult set of 3D puzzles and a photo album. Filled with joyful memories throughout his life. She must have asked his mother for some, as a few could not have been in Aoko's possession. The last page had an imperfect picture featuring the current him and his father, both holding a dove. The photo was signed 'The best two magicians in the world'.
"I know you can achieve your dream, when you'll decide to give it a try~" She said with a cheerful smile.
Kaito smiled back softly and replied, overcoming his clenched throat. "Thanks, Aoko."
He didn't miss the longing in her smile, nor how many of the earlier pictures showed them together, laughing. He couldn't help but recall how few moments like that happened currently. It was obvious she missed him. And he missed her back. He definitely should find more time to spend with... He trailed off with his thoughts, upholding his cheerful expression only through habit. Wasn't it ironic? He was the unbound Kaitou KID. The one who did what he wanted, even if it was impossible. But at the same time it made Kuroba Kaito the very opposite of free. Every second he spent having fun or relaxing, was a second he didn't spend on reconnaissance, training or seeking information. The very essential things he needed if he ever wanted to end his quest. And what he needed for plain survival. He laughed out-loud after making a remark that set Aoko blazing and had her and Tantei-han fight over a mop. Well... keeping appearances of normality for everybody around him was important too. But he wouldn't have to keep it up for long. Soon he would put on the very different mask. Yeah... he thought bitterly, as he splat himself over the ceiling and threw a balloon at Hattori, who wielded the mop as a bokken. So fortunate for him...
They played a couple of games and Kaito tried a few tricks with his doves involving the harnesses and plastic rings from the magician's kit. The trust the birds showed towards their master was remarkable, proved when one of them had its wings caught by the ring in midair and calmed down immediately as Kuroba caught it with a rod and freed it, making it look like everything was a part of plan. Apparently the doves were as good with improvisations as their master was. The party lasted until 4 AM, with people slowly leaving from around 1 AM. Heiji, who got up early that day to get on the train, excused himself around 2 AM after he nearly broke his nose when he started dozing off at a table and Aoko shooed him off. Akako left soon after him, as, like she said, she didn't want to neglect her beauty sleep. Aoko, Kaito and Saguru were the last to leave and the detective insisted on driving them home.
An alarm clock, after too few hours of sleep, was not the sound Kaito liked. But he did want to get to his plans as soon as possible. With a heavy sigh he got up, washed himself, got dressed and went to the secret room to retrieve 'The Morning Shine'. With a toast in between his teeth and an apple in his pocket, he left the house, directing his steps towards the graveyard he visited each year.
Kaito walked slowly through the path at the graveyard he knew all too well. As he approached his destination, he spared a fond smile at the clean gravestone.
"Hi dad." He murmured warmly.
Although the grave was well kept, he sprinkled the lifeless stone to wash off the little dirt from it. Afterwards he lit an incense and sat on the ground before the grave. He looked around carefully, pretending to be simply watching the clouds, and sighed heavily after confirming that he was alone. He returned with his gaze to the tombstone and gave it his KID smirk.
"Look what I found~"
And with a flick of his wrist he produced 'The Morning Shine'. He turned it in his fingers, admiring the daylight dancing on the facets. He placed it on the grave, focusing his gaze on the jewel. It looked nice there, like it was where it belonged.
"Thought it might bring back some memories." He mumbled quietly, still upholding his smirk. "There's not much I can give you for Father's Day. Hope you like it." He sighed heavily, dropping the fake mask and pulled his knees under his chin. "I miss you dad. Sorry for the grim mood today, but I'm tired a bit… I just regret you never managed to tell me about any of this. You know… I often wonder what you wanted to say on the tape... but it is beyond repair..." He chuckled grimly, not even trying to bring out joyful tones. "It would suck big time if you already found Pandora and destroyed it, or hid it somewhere. Or if you never wanted it destroyed in the first place and I'm going against your wishes." He sighed heavily again. "I even wonder if it is possible to destroy it... I think..." He trailed off and shook his head. "Don't worry... I won't back out. It's just... so hard sometimes..." He hid his face in his arms. "I-I just hope you don't hold it against me. What I did, I mean… I'm trying to make the best choices. But sometimes it just feels like whatever I try will end up bad."
Kaito closed his eyes, allowing the images of everything he's done till now and things he was abandoning for the sake of his mission flow through his mind. He sighed heavily, once again accepting the loss and raised his head to give the tombstone his best grin.
"Thanks dad~ I'm better now. Anyway… I'll try something different now. Might find some information, about who I'm up against and maybe I'll help somebody with it also. Don't worry about me, though. I'll be fine." He chuckled. "There is something wrong with me, right? I mean, risking my neck for a detective? Yeah, guess I am crazy. But still gonna do it. Maybe I'll be able to buy myself for them to leave me alone? What do you think?" He snorted. "I doubt it too. They are just too persistent…" He added with a fond smile.
He looked away and added quietly. "It is hard to stay away from them. I know I have to, Dad. But just..." He sighed again and smiled back at the stone, not letting any grim emotions stain his expression. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just being selfish here. Don't worry, I'll find a way to push them away. Somehow…"
After a few more moments of silence, Kaito leaned down to the grave to pick up the priceless jewel and make it vanish with a flick of his wrist. He stood up and stretched with a sigh. He winked at the gravestone, showing his wicked grin. "You rest here. I'll come back to tell you how it went, when I finish. See ya later~!"
With that said, he turned away from his father's resting place and left the graveyard. His Poker Face back in place, without a sign that it was ever broken.
There was a doorbell at Hakuba's household and Saguru, expecting it was his fellow detectives, went to open it himself. He was not mistaken.
"Alright, spill." Heiji demanded, before the Brit could open his mouth to greet his guests, as Conan passed him, sparing an apologetic smile at the host. The boy was holding a wrapped up gift for Kaito under his arm.
Nodding his head towards the shrunken detective, Hakuba raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Well hello to you too. Care to explain what do you want me to 'spill'?"
The Osakan rolled his eyes. "You've been out of it the whole evening yesterday and watching Kuroba with that weird expression-"
"Was I..?" The Brit asked quietly with concern.
"Yeah, so spill, what did you learn about him?"
"Right, well… I considered sharing it with you anyway." Hakuba replied grimly and lead his guests to the living room, where they sat comfortably before he continued. "You see, I had a theory concerning the reason for KID to move the location of his previous heist. It was completely unfounded, so I didn't really want to talk about it until I could confirm it."
"So what did you discover?" Shinichi asked gently, surprised by how uneasy the blond looked.
Saguru shifted in his seat. "The first thing that caught my attention was how many police officers were dispatched for 'the Deep's Hope' and 'the Burning Flower' heists. By itself it wasn't really surprising, concerning that the first was right after that fatal heist and the second occurred during an opera, which gathered many wealthy guests and celebrities, who could make an uproar if there wasn't enough protection measures taken. But when I recalled how bitter KID sounded when he met us after the first of those, it got me thinking that there was more to it. So, based on this hunch, I started digging. I discovered that during both of those there were robbery cases."
"Well, that sucks, but I'd guess it's not really surprising. I mean, KID does take a lot of attention. Criminals have to see those as golden opportunities." Hattori argued, not liking where the deduction was leading.
"But of course. This is why the police is reluctant to share the information about his heists with the public until the last minute, whenever they have power over it. There are also extra precautions taken like dispatching extra patrols, checking up the security and sometimes even calling for extra help from nearby, if the heist is extra large. But since KID seems to scare away other criminals in his immediate surroundings, due to the fact that he did catch a few robbers himself back in the time, plus there is already quite a lot of police attention due to the event, the area around is usually somewhat neglected. And those two robberies in question took place just a block away. What's more, nobody got hurt, nor did a single bullet get shot. The alarms didn't go off and none of the robbers were caught afterwards. I still don't have indisputable evidence, but it seems the security was tempered with in a very specific way…"
Heiji growled, cutting in. "Come on! You're talking like you actually believe it! He doesn't steal for real and you know it. At least not more than we do." He added bitterly and grimaced. "You still haven't returned those discs, have you?" Apparently it was bugging him.
Shinichi lowered his gaze slightly and Hakuba cleared his throat awkwardly. "This is a completely different matter. If not for Kuroba's courtesy, we wouldn't have any choice, but as it was, we all saw him leaving other discs in exchange. From what I've learned, those CD's would have been recorded on a month later anyway, so the data would be lost. Therefore attempting to return those would be not only unnecessarily risky, but also would lead to destroying potential evidence. I can assure you that I'm doing my best monitoring the situation." He added and frowned, trailing off. "I am however stunned that apparently neither of the two security guards who were put to sleep that night made an uproar... Like nothing ever happened."
"Huh? For real? I doubt they were that stupid to not notice, meaning they knew somebody broke in. And Kuroba didn't take long to catch up to us, so he couldn't do much to them." Hattori wondered crooking his head.
Saguru grimaced at that. "Yes, it is surprising. But this is not our current topic. Please stop misleading this conversation."
Heiji gave him a flat stare. "Oi, you were the one to mention that..." He grumbled, but dismissed the matter with a snort, returning to the topic at hand. "Anyway, it can be still just a random group, with smart people and all. They could be just copying his methods and using the heists as distractions. You can't also base it just on the fact that KID didn't catch them."
"He did fly off in that particular direction during 'The Deep's Hope' heist, and considering the time, he should have noticed them. That is before he turned midair and lead the chase elsewhere. Of course there is the possibility that he didn't see them and had another reason to change his direction. But those robberies needed quite a lot of preparations to go this smoothly. So we have two possibilities. Either it was just a coincidence that twice in a row KID chose his heist locations near places that were meant to be robbed, or… he at least allowed this." Hakuba summed up grimly.
"Well… I don't like coincidences that much to bet on them… Did you try to check, if there was a similar case after the last heist?" Shinichi asked somberly.
The Brit shook his head. "I did and found nothing of the sorts."
"Hold on there!" Hattori cut in angrily. "Why would he do that? I mean, even if you assume that he needs to found somehow his heists," he said that with a sour tone, "he wouldn't make a mistake like that and leave you a tip, by moving an opera to a different location. I think you got it all wrong. I mean those heists were no surprise to the public knowledge and maybe it didn't take so long to prepare? They could have had somebody working inside."
"In both cases?" Saguru asked with a grimace and sighed. "I said at the beginning that I still lack proof for this. And I do agree with you that, if Kuroba does steal for profit every now and then, then he has a way to do this unnoticed. I actually doubt that he does that at all, but this is just wishful thinking." Noticing that Heiji wanted to cut again, he continued hastily. "Anyway, what I think happened there was that he was forced to do it. Play a decoy, maybe even organize those robberies. This is why he had to move his heist location to both help with the opera and fulfill his other role."
"But he said that he isn't controlled…" The Osakan argued weakly.
Shinichi shrugged grimly. "He could have lied."
"Or played with words. He tends to do that a lot." Hakuba offered with a bitter smile. "Remember? He said that he isn't controlled in an open matter. And that people can't achieve much by pulling his strings. He never said he wasn't working with somebody, or made a deal. Also, if this was an agreement, he might not consider it being controlled at all."
"And why would he go for an agreement like that?"
"Maybe to pay a debt?" Conan suggested grimly. "After the explosion, Hakuba-kun found quite a lot of his blood. Despite how I like to tease him, he is anything but sloppy. I found it strange back then, but figured that somebody interrupted him and he had to flee before he finished. But since nobody reported anything like that, it didn't quite add up."
"My thoughts exactly." Saguru agreed grimly. "It was an over 20 meter drop. What if he slipped and passed out? Somebody found him, took care of his wounds and requested payback afterwards?"
Shinichi shook his head. "I hope not. In that case, his identity would be revealed and it would be nasty. I'd rather bet that he was in critical state and needed immediate medical attention. Probably had quite a few burn marks, so there was no way he could conceal being KID and because of that couldn't use any legal help, without getting caught. Concerning the explosion and what you observed on Kuroba-kun, it's not a farfetched idea that it was like that…"
The Brit sighed heavily. "No matter how it went, it would mean that he had his life saved. Quite big of a debt, if you ask me… And we have no idea, if he managed to pay for it already."
"Hell…" Hattori swallowed hard, listening to his friends' deductions.
He rubbed his eyes, angered that he couldn't find flaws in those words and didn't like where it was leading them. Especially concerning Kaito's sudden convalescence. The detectives fell silent, digesting what was said until Heiji clapped his hands on his knees and got up.
"Well, we won't be getting nowhere just guessing. Since he tried to mislead us, I'd guess he didn't want us to know about this, so he might slip if we ask him now. Most probably he will be vulnerable now because of his father." He added with a grimace.
Hakuba winced and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "That is rather harsh."
"Yeah I know and I don't like it either. But if your guess is correct then we have to try and pull his sorry ass out of trouble, before he does something stupid again. I still hope you're wrong about this, so I don't intend to ask him directly, but we could touch the topic and see if it will lead us somewhere."
Saguru chuckled and got up from his seat. "Well I guess you're right. And hopefully if we play it out right, he won't hate us for doubting him."
"I think that in worst case scenario, he'll just deny everything. It's not like we have much to lose…" Conan confirmed with a shrug, already walking towards the exit.
Although Saguru knew in which graveyard Toichi was buried in, they decided to head towards Kuroba household, since they had no way of guessing when Kaito made his trip. Unsurprisingly it seemed that nobody was home. Hattori just finished looking through the windows at the first floor and was concerning climbing a tree to see if he could find anything upstairs when they noticed a car pulling over, by the Nakamoris'. The detectives walked towards it, seeing that the inspector and Aoko just got out. The girl turned to them with surprised expression.
"Hi guys. You're looking for Kaito?"
"Good day, Aoko-kun. And that would be correct. Do you have any idea where we could find him?" Hakuba asked politely.
"Oh well, you just missed him. We just dropped him off at the airport." She informed them with an amused expression.
The detectives gapped at that and barely noticed the girl take a picture of them with a giggle.
Not big of a cliffy, but I missed those anyway ;)
Side note: At the graveyard scene Kaito mentions a cassette record – in the manga Toichi left that instead of the whole boom-box with vinyl's and I prefer that. Because in all honesty – I hate the idea that Toichi managed to make dozens of records about magic tricks for Kaito and set them in the secret room and not prepare a single one explaining the whole secret behind Kaitou KID. I could understand if it was hidden anywhere else in the house, but not there.
See you next chapter *grins*
